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Journalist Ryan Taylor has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update which could give supporters a morale boost before the transfer window closes next week.

What’s the news?

Taylor was speaking to GIVEMESPORT on Villa’s defensive predicament, saying: “I know they’ve got Chambers, who in fairness is not a bad backup, but given the length of Carlos’ injury, I think they will have to look at potential ones and I definitely think they will have to bring someone in.”

Steven Gerrard will surely make the signing of a centre-back his main priority before the end of the transfer window as he looks to solve this issue which threatened to ruin the season before it has truly begun.

A new defender is crucial

Carlos ruptured his Achilles tendon against Everton in Villa’s second Premier League match of the campaign, having to be stretched off, and it was later revealed he will miss the majority of the season.

The £26m signing was expected to form the backbone of a new-look defence for Gerrard, but the injury has seriously derailed any such plans, and another dip into the transfer market now seems required.

There have been a wide variety of potential signings linked with the club, with names such as Jan Bednarek, Abdou Diallo, and Attila Szalai among those mentioned.

The injury to Carlos means that Gerrard has just three fit centre-backs available – Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, and Calum Chambers – and these options may not exactly fill the Villa faithful with joy going forward.

The pairing of Konsa and Mings didn’t exactly set the world on fire last season as Villa stumbled to a 14th-placed finish in the league. The duo only won 35 tackles between them throughout the campaign and had a combined total of 19 attempted dribbles, which shows that they don’t have the confidence to push forward to provide support for the midfield or attack.

Their disciplinary records were also poor, with Mings (11 yellow cards) and Konsa (six yellows, two reds) often lacking the composure to keep a level head during matches.

It’s clear that a new partnership is required at Villa Park, and Carlos was expected to be the figurehead behind it. Following his injury, though, Gerrard will now need to act fast and bring in another solid defender to ensure that Villa don’t ship another 54 Premier League goals like last term.

If they can, it might just solve perhaps the biggest issue facing the 42-year-old right now.

Recent reports have seen West Ham United linked with a move for Club Brugge talisman, Hans Vanaken, with the Premier League side said to have made an offer for the Belgium international.

Despite already wrapping up six major deals so far this summer – with a seventh potentially on the way in the form of Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri – it would appear that manager David Moyes is keen to bolster his squad even further, with midfield in particular need of addressing.

While there is a shortage of depth in the defensive midfield ranks behind Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, there is also a lack of creative talent ahead of that colossal pairing, following the departure of £25m flop Nikola Vlasic and the failure to land former loanee, Jesse Lingard.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that the east London outfit have turned their attention towards Vanaken, with the “extraordinary” 29-year-old – as described by former Lokeren teammate Onur Kaya – offering a real quality addition.

The 21-cap gem has been a hugely prolific presence from his attacking midfield berth during his time with Brugge, scoring 102 goals and providing 73 assists in 338 games in all competitions thus far.

The £14.4m-rated man – who joined his current side back in 2015 – notably registered 15 goals and 12 assists in 50 games across all fronts last term, with only Jarrod Bowen having registered more goal contributions (31) for West Ham during the 2021/22 campaign.

Although there may be concerns over his ability to make the transition to English football, those of an Irons persuasion should take heart from the fact that the 6 foot 5 menace shares a number of stylistic and statistical similarities to a man who is already thriving at the London Stadium – Pablo Fornals – as per FBref.

That likeness is demonstrated by the fact that both the Spaniard and Vanaken rank in the top 5% for interceptions made among those in their position across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition, showcasing their willingness to defend from the front.

Equally, the two creative midfielders are also similar due to their forward-thinking approach while in possession, with Fornals averaging 5.12 progressive passes per game, while the Belgian averages just slightly more at 6.0 progressive passes per game – albeit from fewer minutes played.

That is an indication of just how smoothly the towering gem could fit into Moyes’ side, with the man who is a “genius in the pass” in Fornals – as dubbed by journalist Guillem Balague – having thrived since his switch from Villarreal three years ago.

The 26-year-old has chipped in with 16 goals and 17 assists in 134 games in all competitions for the club thus far, although his role seemingly goes beyond just his end product, with journalist Paul Brown suggesting that the £67k-per-week ace is “very important” due to his quality and character.

Moyes and co will no doubt believe that they’ve struck gold if they can land another Fornals-esque figure in Vanaken before the deadline slams shut.

West Ham United left-back Arthur Masuaku is nearing a loan move to Turkish giants Besiktas, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Kostic’s arrival

According to Sky Sports, the Hammers are still working on a deal to sign Eintracht Frankfurt left-midfielder Filip Kostic.

It is reported that the Irons’ initial £12.6m bid for the Serbia international was rejected, with the Bundesliga outfit looking for a fee closer to £16.8m.

Kostic is represented by the World Soccer Agency (WSA) – the same agency that looks after new Irons arrival Gianluca Scamacca.

With the 29-year-old’s agents pushing for a move to the London Stadium, this suggests Masuaku will fall further down David Moyes’ pecking order.

The Latest: Taylor’s claim

Whilst providing an update on West Ham’s pursuit of Kostic, Taylor also shared news on Masuaku’s future at the East London club.

Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed:

“Expected to be case of one in, one out. Arthur Masuaku nearing departure with Besiktas in talks over loan move.”

The Verdict: Lack of game time

Having only made 13 appearances in the Premier League last season, with just six features in Moyes’ starting XI, the arrival of Kostic at the London Stadium would push the Democratic Republic of the Congo international down to their third-choice option at left-back, also trailing behind current starter Aaron Cresswell.

However, a loan switch to Besiktas would certainly be a good move for both the player and the Turkish side.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 28-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for tackles, in the 98th percentile for expected assists and in the 96th percentile for interceptions.

Once hailed as ‘the thinking man’s Ronaldinho’ by FourFourTwo journalist Mark White for his iconic piece of skill against Tottenham, a loan move away would be the best option for Masuaku’s career.

West Ham United are maintaining their attempts to sign Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski this summer as an update emerges on negotiations.

The Lowdown: West Ham enter talks…

In seeking to further upgrade David Moyes’ options ahead of a crucial 2022/23 Premier League campaign, the Hammers reportedly have their fingers in many pies.

Discussions are currently ongoing for both Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca and Eintracht Frankfurt star Filip Kostic, with reports suggesting that the Irons are also trying to prise Zielinski away from Serie A.

West Ham narrowly missed out on qualification for next season’s Europa League, perhaps showing the need to add more options this summer if they’re to remain competitive at the top level.

The Latest: West Ham negotiations ‘continue’….

As per reports from Italy, it appears that the east Londoners are not halting in their pursuit of Poland’s 72-cap star.

Corriere dello Sport claim (via Sport Witness) that West Ham negotiations ‘continue’ over signing Zielinski, even if their submitted bid of €20m (£17m) has now been rejected by Napoli, who value him at twice that figure.

This hasn’t deterred Moyes and co, who will apparently maintain discussions in hopes of reaching an agreement.

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The Verdict: Make the move?

Having previously drawn comparisons to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, the 28-year-old comes with a fairly impressive reputation.

Former Poland manager Paulo Sousa has also called Zielinski ‘exceptional’ and ‘amazing’, with there appearing to be no shortage of plaudits for the Napoli playmaker.

As Moyes aims to add a creator to his ranks at the London Stadium, the former Udinese ace could come as a good candidate, but West Ham will need to significantly invest given his €40m (£34m) valuation.

The future of Morgan Gibbs-White looks set to be Wolves’ transfer saga of the summer, and supporters might well be delighted with the latest update on the midfielder, which suggests that he is set to stay at Molineux.

What’s the word?

After a superb loan spell at Sheffield United last season, Gibbs-White has attracted the interest of numerous Premier League clubs so far this summer, including Everton, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

Initial reports suggested that Bruno Lage was willing to sell the youngster, but it now seems as if he is willing to give the 22-year-old a chance in the first team next season.

However, Express and Star journalist Liam Keen has now suggested that, despite the midfielder not signing the contract which was offered to him in May, the Old Gold are intent on keeping the Compton academy graduate this summer.

The youngster’s contract at Molineux is not set to expire until the summer of 2024, which gives Wolves room for negotiation. However, they will perhaps hope that he does sign a contract extension in the near future, otherwise they may be forced to cash in on him next summer.

Supporters will be buzzing

No supporter wants to see an exciting homegrown talent depart, especially after such an impressive campaign.

Gibbs-White was integral to Sheffield United’s run to the Championship play-offs, contributing 12 goals and 10 assists in 37 appearances for the Blades.

While the youngster has sometimes struggled to impress in his 86 first-team appearances for Wolves, in which he has accrued just three goals and one assist, he has clearly matured and improved as a player during his spell at Bramall Lane and now looks ready to make an impression in the Premier League next season.

Considering Wolves’ lack of attacking threat last season, a creative player such as Gibbs-White could make all the difference next term, so supporters will surely be hoping to see him get regular opportunities under Lage.

Unless the Old Gold are offered silly money for the Englishman this summer, it feels like the right decision to keep him at Molineux, as another season like 2021/22 from the youngster could help to push Wolves up the table and see his value rise even higher.

AND in other news: John Percy drops “excellent” Wolves transfer update, it’s great news for Lage

There has been a development in Aston Villa’s pursuit of veteran striker, Luis Suarez…

What’s the word?

As per journalist Ashley Preece – speaking in a Q and A for Birmingham Mail – the Midlands outfit appear to have ended their interest in the Uruguayan ace, with the 35-year-old seemingly longer on his way to Villa Park.

Asked about any offers for the 132-cap gem, the club insider stated: “Suarez was on the cards but that ship, I’m told, has sailed now”.

Previous reports had suggested that the Atletico Madrid man – who is set to be a free agent upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month – was ‘under consideration’ by the Premier League side, with Villa boss Steven Gerrard having appeared keen to reunite with his former Liverpool colleague.

Supporters gutted

There would undoubtedly have been sceptics who would have questioned the wisdom of signing an ageing star who is past his peak, yet there will also be sections of support that would have loved to see such a prolific marksman pull on a claret and blue jersey.

As it is, those supporters are set to be disappointed, with Suarez seemingly not set to be another marquee arrival this summer, with the club having already brought in four major additions in the current window.

For all his off-field controversies and his perhaps declining influence, the £7.2m-rated man remains arguably one of the most lethal strikers of his era, having been a consistent goalscoring threat over the last decade or so.

In 697 club games across all competitions in his career thus far, the £263k-per-week machine has scored a staggering 436 goals and provided a further 240 assists, while also plundering a further 68 strikes in 132 games at international level.

Having dazzled during a stunning stint at Anfield – where he scored 82 times and added 46 assists in 133 games after joining from Ajax in 2011 – the one-time Groningen man was arguably at his potent best in Barcelona, winning a plethora of major honours and registering 194 goals and 113 assists in just 281 games across all fronts.

An acrimonious exit from the Nou Camp in 2020 after six years in Catalonia was followed by another impressive spell in Madrid, with the 6 foot hotshot proving a point to his former club by netting 21 goals to help fire Diego Simeone’s side to the La Liga title in his debut campaign.

Even in the most recent season, the forward still chipped in with 11 league goals for the Spanish outfit – a tally only matched by Ollie Watkins among the Villa squad.

With doubts over the future of Danny Ings, Gerrard and co could no doubt have benefitted from the addition of a proven goalscorer and penalty-box poacher such as Suarez, even if it may have only been a brief relationship.

IN other news, AVFC face battle to land “aggressive” £60m machine, he’s one of the “best” in his role

Tottenham Hotspur could turn to Yves Bissouma after suffering a blow to their chances of sealing a sensational return for Christian Eriksen…

What’s the word?

According to LondonWorld, Spurs will renew their interest in the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder if they cannot bring the Danish playmaker back to Hotspur Way.

Well, as per Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridges, that does appear unlikely in a gutting blow to supporters. He recently told GIVEMESPORT:

“I did the Brentford Q&A awards last Thursday, and he kind of gave me the impression that [Tottenham] is a non-starter.”

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It’s not the first time that the Seagulls powerhouse has been linked with a switch to north London and after another impressive campaign in the big time, it could be time to make a bid, especially after missing out on Eriksen.

Midfield powerhouse

Spurs have plenty of priorities this off-season, including the additions of a new left-sided centre-back and a stronger right wing-back option. However, with the team in the Champions League next term, then strength in depth will be required.

There won’t be many better candidates to add steel to the engine room than Bissouma, who has proven his worth in the big time over the past 18 to 24 months.

As per WhoScored, he ended the 2021/22 campaign as Graham Potter’s highest-rated player (with 20 starts or more) on WhoScored, averaging a more than respectable 6.99.

His defensive output was pretty remarkable, having averaged 2.9 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game, something that exceeded all of Antonio Conte’s current squad in the Premier League.

Not even stalwart Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (2.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game) could match the Mali international’s numbers. The Italian head coach would love a player of that calibre, given his work rate and brute strentgh.

It’s evident that Bissouma, once lauded as a “wonderful talent” by ex-manager Chris Hughton and a “Champions League level” talent by Potter, is an upgrade on what Spurs currently have in defensive midfield and considering his valuation of £31.5m, he should be a very attainable target indeed.

He may be a vastly different style to Eriksen but if anything, that’s a better fit for Conte’s current system, where there is no room for a no.10. Bissouma just makes sense, so sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to pounce when the transfer window reopens.

AND in other news, Spurs now eye £54m-rated “phenomenon” after Perisic, he’s Conte’s dream summer signing…

The wheels have come off at Leeds United and they are now the favourites to be relegated from the Premier League in that final spot in the relegation zone.

They were never expected to beat defending champions Manchester City but two ill-tempered, dire defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea have likely sealed their fate.

And amid injury concerns and suspensions, manager Jesse Marsch has no easy task with Brighton and Hove Albion up next this afternoon.

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If Burnley lose to Tottenham Hotspur in today’s lunchtime kick-off, then a point would be enough to see the Whites lifted out of the drop zone ahead of Brentford next weekend, though the Clarets still have a game in hand.

Given the squad crisis at his hands, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of side the American will name at Elland Road, that’s for sure. Here’s what we are predicting…

Between the sticks, Illan Meslier is likely to remain as the first-choice goalkeeper but there could be some alterations to the backline as Jamie Shackleton comes in at right-back with Luke Ayling suspended.

Skipper Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente could be the central defensive pairing, meaning Robin Koch makes way, whilst on the left, we could see a return for Junior Firpo in what could be a back four.

In midfield, Kalvin Phillips should continue in the engine room and he’s surely going to be joined by Mateusz Klich, who regains his place in the starting XI over U23 gem Lewis Bate.

Further up the pitch, Rodrigo will surely take up a role in the no.10 spot, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison on either flank, The £13.5m-rated winger went off injured at Stamford Bridge but is expected to be fit for this encounter.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Patrick Bamford, we could see Joe Gelhardt gifted a start up top, with Daniel James also suspended. The 20-year-old, described as a “wrecking ball” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, is Marsch’s only available and fit senior striker right now.

Predicted Leeds XI (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Firpo, Cooper, Llorente, Shackleton; Phillips, Klich; Harrison, Rodrigo, Raphinha; Gelhardt

AND in other news, Phil Hay relays Raphinha injury update ahead of Brighton clash…

Meanwhile, the curse of Durban strikes South Africa again. They’ve now lost seven out of nine Tests there

Bharath Seervi16-Feb-20190:57

First Lara, then Perera – all the records Sri lanka broke to beat South Africa

78* – The final-wicket partnership between Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando – the highest-ever in a successful chase. The previous was 57 between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed against Australia in Karachi in 1994. The Perera-Fernando stand is also the biggest such partnership in any first-class match, going past the 77 between Thomas Leather and Ron Oxenham for Australians against Madras in 1935-36.Highest tenth-wicket partnerships in successful chases•ESPNcricinfo Ltd13 – Instances of a side winning a Test by one wicket. It was the second such win for Sri Lanka after their display in Colombo 2006, also against South Africa. The last one-wicket victory in all Tests was by India over Australia in Mohali in 2010.153* – Kusal Perera’s score – the highest by a Sri Lanka batsman in a successful chase. It is also the highest against South Africa in a successful chase beating Neil Harvey’s unbeaten 151, also in Durban, in 1949-50. Overall, Perera’s innings features in the top-10 individual scores in successful chases.304 – Successfully chasing that target made it Sri Lanka’s fourth-highest chase in Test cricket. Each of the top three had come at home, so this is their best in an away win. It was also the fifth-largest target chased by any team against South Africa.1-7 – South Africa’s win-loss record in Durban in last ten years, easily their worst at any home venue. In nine Tests played there, they have lost seven and drawn one. The only victory was against India in 2013. Their win-loss ratio is the worst among the top-eight sides at a home venue playing last five-plus matches in this period.6 (27) – Fernando’s score in the partnership with Perera for the last wicket. Four of those runs had come in overthrows. Perera scored 67 off 68 in the partnership, with five sixes and three fours.

Batsman Runs Balls SRKusan Perera 67 68 98.52Vishwa Fernando 6 27 22.222- Number of successful run-chases by Asian teams in South Africa, in 20 attempts. Before this effort by Sri Lanka, the only successful chase was by Pakistan in Port Elizabeth in 2007. Last year India lost chasing targets of 207 and 286 on their tour of South Africa.

England captain rues the loss of control with the ball as India seal the ODI series after escaping from another tough start to their innings

Vishal Dikshit at Cuttack19-Jan-20172:08

‘Haven’t produced near our best this series’ – Morgan

England can have had no complaints with the two pitches so far produced in their ODI series in India. They are not turning much, they are not particularly slow, and they are the kind of tracks on which a batting-heavy side like theirs can score easily. The flip side is that scoring is easy for both teams, leading to high-scoring matches that aren’t over until the last over.England, however, have managed something that has been beyond India – getting early wickets on two flat pitches. While David Willey removed the openers with his swing in the first match, Chris Woakes – who stifled India’s top order in both matches – removed KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli single-handedly on Thursday. If 63 for 4 was not enough to win the match while defending 350, he made it 25 for 3 this time. His penetrative spell with pin-point accurate bowling finished a first spell of 5-3-14-3.And yet England squandered such strong positions in both matches and conceded the series after coming close in a spirited run-chase. Their captain Eoin Morgan, who steered them almost all the way to their target of 382, admitted they had paid the price for allowing India to regroup in spite of all that early pressure.”We weren’t at our best again with the ball,” he said. “We took early wickets, which is a really good sign, but letting two experienced guys get themselves in like that… and we struggled to break the partnership throughout, probably due to just not executing our plans well enough.”We didn’t produce our best performance – or anywhere near our best performance – with the ball, in this game and the last, which is very disappointing. Chasing 382, we had an incredible amount of belief in the changing room, we believed that we could chase it down, and again we weren’t far off. I didn’t think we batted [as] well [as we can].””When you don’t execute your plans, you’re obviously backtracking a bit and chasing a tail, and just trying different things. If a bowler doesn’t get it right on the day, which can happen all the time, you try different things. When you’re trying different things against the two guys who are in, they can really hurt and today they did.”The two batsmen who hurt England – Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni – cashed in as soon as the England bowlers faltered, once the opening bowlers ended their first spells. Ben Stokes offered too much room to Yuvraj, Jake Ball didn’t bowl the right lines, while Liam Plunkett encountered Dhoni at his most unstoppable in the 48th over and was smashed for three sixes in the over. The platform laid by Woakes’ spell was effectively nullified by his team-mates in the middle overs.That both games came close is a tribute to the batting displays of both sides; 1453 runs have been scored so far in four innings for the loss of 28 wickets. If England’s bowling was unable to build on the momentum established by the openers, their batting could not finish things off after the stage had been set. It was the skill level of the two teams in these conditions that made the difference.Shikhar Dhawan played on to Chris Woakes as England applied more early pressure with the ball•AFP”It’s different from what we are used to,” Morgan said. “The grounds have been very similar, very small, very batting-friendly which continues to be the case for white-ball cricket. It’s almost the case of who bats the best wins. And we haven’t produced our best with the bat. We’ve pushed them close twice, there are positives signs within themselves, but we’ve lost the series.”It’s with our skill level. The belief is there, the character is there, the talent is there – it’s reproducing your skill level. As I mentioned, India are a tough side to beat at home. You need to have skill level. The guys playing the IPL, I believe, will set them up.”Within their side there are a few World Cup winners who were a part of the 2011 side and, of course, having that experience and coming up against these sides in world competitions is a big test for us. You’ve got to produce close to the best to beat them when they’re at their best and we haven’t managed to do that.”We have another chance to do that in Calcutta. Although the series is gone, looking further ahead, it’s going to be a good test for us to prepare for the Champions Trophy. The wickets are not turning square, it’s not the typical India, it’s actually modern-day 50-over cricket. Finding a way to deal with that is a challenge.”Morgan fought valiantly with the lower order and the tail, compiling his eighth ODI century with a plan executed almost to perfection, especially once spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had finished their quotas by the 40th over. Morgan saw them through carefully, he didn’t even score at run a ball against them because he knew he could try and make up for that against the quick bowlers. He unleashed his full repertoire against Hardik Pandya’s erratic lines and the odd loose delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He barely celebrated his hundred in the penultimate over because England still needed 29 runs off 11 balls. And he didn’t get to celebrate later at all.”A pretty disappointing day,” he said. “Anytime you get runs, more often than not, you’re in the team, you perform, the side wins. But when you lose, there is absolutely no satisfaction.”Morgan’s partnership with Moeen Ali took them close to satisfaction. Morgan played second fiddle to his partner in their counter-attacking 12-over stand that instilled life in their chase again, as Moeen targeted the leg-side boundary repeatedly. But a big swing against Bhuvneshwar left Moeen’s stumps rattled . It was, admitted Morgan, a big turning point.”Joe [Root] and Jason [Roy], when they got going, obviously losing the two of them hurt us a bit. And then when myself and Mo got going, losing Mo. It’s more a case of breaking partnerships as opposed to losing one wicket in particular [that turns the match].”If the Kolkata pitch also offers plenty of runs on Sunday, Morgan can only hope his bowlers put up a better show, so that his batsmen’s best statistical efforts don’t contribute to yet another lost cause.